O’Donnell Backers Back Green

Former state Secretary of State Gail Shaffer, who nominated ex-AG candidate Denise O’Donnell at the Democratic covention in Buffalo two weeks ago, today endorsed Mark Green over the son of her former boss to be the state’s top prosecutor.

At a Manhattan press conference, Shaffer, who was a state appointee from 1983 to 1995 under former Gov. Mario Cuomo, said she was throwing her support to Green because:

“My family fought in the American Revolution so that we’d have a democracy, not a dynasty.”

Green’s campaign said Shaffer was representing nine formerÂ O’Donnell supporters, including Chemung County Democratic Chair Cindy Emmer. O’Donnell herself has not endorsed any of her one-time opponents since leaving the race the Saturday after the convention.

Shaffer took some subtle swipes at Democratic AG frontrunner Andrew Cuomo, who has never held elected office. In an announcement released by the Green campaign, she calledÂ Green “a proven vote-getter,” adding: “To succeed Eliot Spitzer, New York needs anotherÂ People’s Lawyer, not a politician.”Â